


Naughty and Nice

by GutterBall



Series: Christmas Quickies [1]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Smut, Chuck is an awkward turtle, Cussing, M/M, Raleigh is oblivious to his own charm, and thinks too much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 14:47:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13148919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GutterBall/pseuds/GutterBall
Summary: Raleigh is tired of Chuck being so goddamn moody, so he decides he's done with the jerk. This is Christmas, the first Christmas after Pitfall, and he wants to be happy, goddammit.Everything was fine until Chuck showed up on his stoop in a Santa suit.





	Naughty and Nice

**Author's Note:**

> This is for all of you wonderful Chaleigh fans out there. Happy holidays!

Chuck was really starting to piss Raleigh off.

It wasn't little things, either. It was... an entire thing. One day, they'd hang out almost all day, laughing and talking about stupid shit (or important shit) and sharing a six pack. The next, the brat would all but disappear and, if tracked down, would snarl to get off his dick, already, and go bother Mako or Tendo or someone who fucking cares.

Twice now, Raleigh would have sworn they were a breath away from kissing -- once during a particularly close clench in a spar and once toward the end of a movie night when they both happened to glance at each other and pause for a breathless moment -- but it had to be all in his head, because if he tried to get close to the giant ginger jerk after that, he was either glared at or physically shoved away.

So he was fucking done. Chuck Moody Hansen could go fuck himself for all he cared. Raleigh had better things to do than spend Christmas wondering if he'd have the opportunity -- and the balls, should the opportunity arrive -- to give the annoying little shit the present he'd bought him. In fact, he made himself scarce all day, just in case, because he could be a petty fuck, too.

And it was fun to lie on the floor with Mako and look up at the tiny little tree she'd crammed onto her desk and decorated with enough lights to help land one of the rescue choppers. They talked about Pentecost, about how Sensei had always been so careful to honor her Japanese traditions while she happily honored his more Western ones. They talked about how it had just been another day for Raleigh ever since Knifehead, and this was the first year he'd had any interest in rejoining all the hooplah.

For a while, they just sat cross-legged, side by side, and leaned together, taking comfort and strength from the bond between them that hadn't gone away just because Gipsy had. It was like coming home, and Raleigh loved it.

Then, instead of going to the cafeteria for lunch -- where Chuck would surely be -- he snuck directly into the kitchen and piled up a plentiful selection while the staff, who'd been known to indulge him shamefully if he batted his baby blues just right, tut-tutted and let him do his thing. They knew he wouldn't make a mess and would stay out of their way.

And when he had enough of a variety, he headed for Herc's office, where Chuck was almost guaranteed to _not_ be, and ate lunch there, mostly to make sure Herc actually ate something. The poor marshal was still trying to catch up on paperwork and secure funds, and he wasn't the natural at shoveling around the machinery of bureaucracy that Stacker had been. Tendo helped when he could, but running Loccent was still a full-time job, despite the current lack of jaegers, so Raleigh had taken to doing the filing and stamping and mailing of forms whenever he could, just to ease some of the load.

It was nice to have something to do, even if it was boring as hell. He'd been placed on indefinite medical leave after the whole escapade in the Breach, so no one would let him do anything else. And the simple, repetitive tasks kept him occupied while he tried like hell to figure out what was happening between him and Chuck.

Because something was. He just... wasn't sure what.

But he was done with that. The annoying bastard could get his shit together on his own.

After lunch, Herc handed him a badly-wrapped present he was not to open until he was alone -- and he had to promise to say he liked it, even if he didn't, which he agreed to with a snicker -- and sent him on his way, so he found a quiet corner of the mostly-abandoned common room and tore into the wrinkled brown paper. A digital camera. A damn nice one, too, if he weren't mistaken. Yancy would've known in a heartbeat.

Frowning, he picked up the bulky wrapping paper and turned it this way and that until he found Herc's spiky writing.

**_From: Herc & Chuck_ **

Sighing, he guessed that made sense. Chuck had seen all the pictures on his wall, of course, and he was pretty sure the marshal hadn't. The big jerk must have assumed Raleigh took them and told Herc.

But... why would he do that? Why would he talk to his old man about someone he apparently didn't give a shit about? Or, at least, didn't want to get close to?

Ugh. Chuck Fucking Hansen would be the fucking death of him.

Grumbling and wadding up the packaging, he snuck back to his room to stow away the surprisingly thoughtful gift -- he'd find some online tutorials on how to use it later -- and snuck off to Loccent with bagels and coffee from the nigh-deserted cafeteria. He and Tendo kicked back and gnoshed, rehashing old memories that still hurt but were maybe starting to heal.

The time Yancy hung so much mistletoe in the Icebox that no one could take three steps without having to kiss someone. The time they'd all gotten wasted on that jaeger tech's homemade rum-spiced cider and gone shout-caroling on the deck until Pentecost, straight-faced as ever, reminded them that it was two in the morning and there was no one on deck to hear them, but they were getting complaints from down the road, where they were heard just fine.

They were good memories. They only hurt a little.

Finally, with most of the day gone -- and a damn fine Christmas it had been, too -- he snuck back into the kitchens to fill another plate so he could sequester himself in his bunk in his pajamas and watch _Die Hard,_ if it was still available online. It had been a tradition for him and Yancy. The last thing they did on Christmas, no matter how late it was. No matter if they fell asleep in the middle. He thought it was about time to bring that tradition back, even if he had to do it alone.

Thus, he was less than pleased by the knock on his door just as John McClane discovered the pleasures of walking around barefoot and making fists with his toes.

Thinking perhaps Mako had picked up on his loneliness and dropped by to watch with him, he made himself grin while he cranked open the door, but the grin dropped off in a hurry when he hefted it open to find Chuck standing on his stoop.

It came right back, unbidden, when he realized the big jerk was wearing an honest-to-God Santa suit, but he did his best to force it down again.

"What do _you_ want?"

Perfect. Just the right amount of "you're wasting my time" in his tone.

One ginger eyebrow rose. "That any way to talk to Santa?"

Unimpressed, he crossed his arms. "It's the perfect way to talk to a jerk in a Santa suit."

"Not putting many checks in the 'nice' column here, mate."

Sighing, he slumped. "Chuck, what do you want? I'm kinda in the middle of something."

Something crossed the jerk's face, but it was hard to make out under the stupid white beard. "Gotta reckon whether you've been naughty or nice this year, yeah? Impossible to tell unless I check for myself."

What the hell was the kid up to? Raleigh hadn't seen hide nor hair of him for two full days and had just decided he was done with the mercurial mood-swings and arrogant outbursts. Now... a Santa suit?

"And exactly how are you planning to do that?"

"I have my ways."

Exasperated, he rolled his eyes. "What ways, exactly?"

Now Chuck rolled his eyes. "Jesus, mate, just let me in. I had to walk through the whole 'dome in this fucking thing."

That, at least, sounded like the Chuck he'd come to somewhat know, so he rolled his eyes again and backed away from the door, though he kept his arms crossed.

"That look's definitely going in the naughty column."

He couldn't help it. He snorted. Chuck could be entertaining as hell when he got going. One reason it was so hard to take when the brat shoved him away.

Giving in entirely -- so much for being done with the jerk -- he shut the door and stepped into the fray, not sure what he should be preparing for with Chuck acting so strange. Weirdly enough, Chuck just eyed him back in much the same way, the bulky red velvet hanging loose around him and cinched in at the waist with a stupid black plastic belt. He looked ridiculous.

Dammit. He was grinning again.

And Chuck saw it, and some of the tension went out of the room. "That does it, mate. You are definitely one of the naughty ones."

Rolling his eyes yet again -- it seemed that would be the expression of the night -- he sighed. "So, no present for me? What a shame." Lowering his tone, he muttered to himself. "Not like I didn't already get it from Herc."

Waving this away, the big jerk then took a ridiculous superhero stance. "Just means you'll have to earn your way back to the nice column to get your gift."

Why was he even bothering with this?

But he knew why. Because Chuck could be funny as hell when he wanted to be. Because the kid had apparently gone to great lengths to find a Santa suit and had suffered the embarrassment of wearing it through the shatterdome just to show up on Raleigh's stoop in it. Because it was Christmas, and that meant even Chuck got a little more slack than usual, since he was clearly trying to do something for Raleigh.

Dammit.

"Fine. And how do I earn my way back to the nice column?"

Pretending to mull this over, the big ginger jerk stroked his fake beard for a long moment, then nodded. "A good spanking ought to do the trick."

His eyebrows shot up, and he actually took a step back, his arms uncrossing so his fists could clench, just in case.

"A what now?"

Ginger eyebrows waggled under the fake white fur of the stupid hat. "You heard me."

Jesus. What was this now? Surely, Chuck didn't mean... because they'd maybe come close to kissing a couple of times, but not... and there was no way...?

"Come on then. Off with your trackies. These things have to be done just right."

Baby Jesus in a manger, he _did_ mean...!

Apparently, he looked exactly as poleaxed as he felt because Chuck leaned forward a bit and lowered his tone. "Don't you wanna be nice, Raleigh?"

Holy shit, he was even getting the full name treatment. And that was a completely different tone than he was used to from Chuck. Low and... almost purring.

Maybe... he should... see how far this would play out. Maybe it was a step in the right direction. Surely the kid would back down before it went too far along.

A lightbulb went on overhead. That's what this was. A challenge. Who would back down first.

That, he could do.

So, recovering enough to smirk, he shrugged out of his long-sleeved t-shirt and shucked off his pajama pants, though he left his socks on because the floor was cold. Because he was watching so closely, he couldn't help but smirk deeper as the kid's eyes widened when he realized Raleigh wasn't wearing anything under the flannel.

Wordless now, Chuck gestured for him to turn around, and he did so willingly enough. He'd been told enough times that his ass was spectacular to not be embarrassed about it, and if it made the jerk hot under the stupid red velvet collar, so much the better.

"That's a big check in the nice column, mate."

He snickered, shaking his head. If Chuck weren't so damn amusing, being done with him would be a hell of a lot easier.

"Just so you know, I'm not calling you Santa."

"Oi!" Clearing his throat, the brat tried to get back to his more authoritative tone. "Right. On your knees on the bed then, ya wanker."

His eyebrows again rose, but he definitely wouldn't be backing down first. If Chuck was still game, so was he. So, though he'd never had a spanking kink or any inclination toward BDSM, he obligingly knelt on the edge of the bed, facing the wall across the single-bed width of it. Should he brace his hands on the wall? Surely Chuck wouldn't actually spank him...?

He couldn't help but stiffen as Chuck moved up behind him, velvet and fake fur tickling at his bare skin. A big, warm hand settled on one shoulder blade and gave a gentle push.

"Down you go, mate. Assume the position."

Jesus, he couldn't believe he was doing this. Surely, Chuck would back out and stomp off in a huff before... and being on his elbows and knees with his ass in the air at just about the right height for... was... wasn't...?

But he only hesitated for a moment because, dammit, Chuck wasn't winning this... whatever it was. And maybe it would go so spectacularly badly that the big jerk would finally leave him alone for real, meaning Raleigh wouldn't have to be the one to end it. If "it" was even there.

So, gritting his teeth, he bent down and leaned on his elbows, his ass in the air and Chuck's big hand still warm on his back.

"Another check in the nice column." The kid's voice wasn't quite steady as that big hand stroked down his spine and settled on his lower back. "Maybe two."

Shivering at the warmth of that lingering stroke, Raleigh started to wonder if maybe this _wasn't_ a challenge. Maybe this was something else entirely.

Maybe Chuck was serious.

Would that be... okay?

"Jesus, Raleigh, you're so...."

The other hand settled next to the first, just above the swell of his ass, and the brush of velvet and fur moved to one side. Chuck's right hand lifted away, and Raleigh braced himself for the smack to come, not sure if he wanted Chuck to mean it or not.

The moment drew out, a tense eternity of waiting. Waiting to see who would give in first. Waiting to see if any of this meant anything to either of them.

Waiting to see if Chuck would leave and maybe not come back this time.

Then, the hand still on his lower back slid back up to his shoulder blade, thumb stroking over the scars there, and Chuck sighed. All that velvet and fur pressed against him as the big body moved in close, and both arms slipped under him to pull him up, his back to Chuck's broad, hard-muscled front. Raleigh could only hold his breath as Chuck leaned their cheeks together and wrapped him up tight with both arms in... a hug. No other word for it.

"Who am I kidding, mate? You've already done enough to be on the nice list forever. And the last thing you need is to hurt anymore, even if your ass was made for spanking."

What was this now? Afraid to open his mouth and say the wrong thing, Raleigh stilled and held his breath. Waiting. Even though the stupid fake beard tickled.

"I just... wanted to get close, yeah? Wanted it to be okay to touch you." Turning his face even more toward Raleigh's, Chuck sighed. "You don't deserve an asshole like me, but I'm selfish as fuck and want you anyway."

A huff of something -- disbelief? laughter? -- jumped out of him, and he wrapped his arms around Chuck's arms around him, holding him as best as he could.

"Chuck."

The kid tensed, even though... Jesus, surely it was obvious. Sighing, he turned his head enough to press something of a kiss on the side of his nose, which was all he could really reach at such an awkward angle.

"You'll notice I'm not saying no."

Ginger eyelashes fluttered as the kid blinked wide eyes and pulled away enough to see him clearly.

"But lose the beard, and I'm still not calling you Santa."

The corners of those changeable eyes crinkled, but he couldn't see the grin until Chuck let go of him enough to toss away the hat and beard. This time, there was no doubt about whether or not they were about to kiss. They just... kissed.

It had been a damn long time coming and was very much in the nice column.

But the velvet and fake fur tickled, and not in a fun or sexy way, so Raleigh wiggled loose soon enough and turned around, still on his knees, to get rid of it. Chuck grinned but declined to help, too busy tracing Raleigh's musculature with his fingertips. And that _did_ tickle in a nice way, though it made it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand: getting Chuck naked.

Thankfully, the stupid suit was loose, made for someone with a big belly -- or at least a false one. Chuck was lean, strong muscle under it, so most of it slipped off without being completely unfastened, and when they finally pressed together, skin to skin, Raleigh sighed with relief and wrapped himself around that satiny bulk as much as possible while kneeling on a bed.

Chuckling, the big jerk cuddled him back, then slid a hand down to cup a buttcheek and give it a good squeeze. "I seriously can't believe your ass, mate."

Just like that, Raleigh realized that, unless chaos struck, he was getting laid for Christmas. He hadn't even been sure Chuck was interested until this evening, but here they were, naked and pressed together and it felt like the most natural thing in the world, even though he'd been ready to never speak to the jerk again barely an hour ago.

And he was... okay with that. They'd been building toward this, after all. In fits and starts, maybe, with many a leap back. But building.

So, smirking, he pulled back and looked up at the bane of his sanity from under his eyelashes. Back in the old days, Tendo had sworn he could stop a rampaging kaiju with that look.

It seemed to work pretty damn well on Chuck, who caught his breath at the sight of it.

"So how do you propose I make you a believer?"

The kid blinked. "What?"

Chuckling because he'd somehow managed to knock the kid completely off his stride with a single, hungry look, he stroked a hand up Chuck's neck to thread his fingers through his hair. "In my ass." When the big jerk still looked more shell-shocked than understanding, he shook his head. "You said you can't believe my ass. What say we make you a believer?"

Chuck's breath fell out of him, his arms tightening. "Raleigh... mate... you're sure?"

He leaned in until their noses touched. "I sure as hell didn't get you anything else for Christmas."

Not true, but that present was for later. And what Chuck didn't know wouldn't interrupt the first sex Raleigh'd had since his whole life went to hell.

Plus, Chuck seemed to finally be getting past his fluster. "Are you saying your ass is a gift?"

He pulled back and raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying it isn't?"

Grey eyes widened, and the big dork hurried to kiss him hard and full. "If you're offering--" Kiss, kiss, tongue, sigh, kiss. "--I'm definitely taking it."

Chuckling, Raleigh tightened his grip around the ridiculous ginger brat he'd somehow taken into his heart and twisted to pull them both down on the bed with Chuck on top, blanketing him with miles of warm skin and hard muscle. He reveled in the weight of that long, strong body, but more quietly, deep down inside, he reveled even more in the thought that this Christmas, at least, he wouldn't spend alone. He doubted Chuck knew how much that meant to him, how much of a gift it was.

Maybe someday he'd try to explain. Maybe, by then, it wouldn't matter.

Either way, the big, warm hands on his skin felt like they melted right through him, turned him boneless and golden wherever they stroked, and when Chuck finally reached down to take his dick in hand, Raleigh wasn't a bit ashamed to moan wordlessly and bury his face in the kid's neck. It had been so long. And Chuck was so careful for such a strong guy, gentle as he stroked, quiet as he murmured nothings against his skin, his lips, into his hair.

Maybe he'd been lonely and touch-starved all these years, too. Maybe Chuck needed this closeness, this warmth, just as much as Raleigh did.

And always, those big hands crept back around to touch his ass, to cup a cheek or give a gentle squeeze or to pull him up against Chuck's thick erection, thrumming and hot and ready for more. Jesus, Raleigh wanted it. Wanted to fill up the loneliness inside him. Wanted to be close, be held.

Wanted Chuck.

Moaning again, he twisted away and pawed at his desk's drawers until he found the right one and pulled out the bottle of lube he hadn't had much use for. He started to turn back over, then grinned and scooted back down under all that bulk on his stomach, deliberately rubbing his ass against Chuck's heavy cock.

Gasping, Chuck let his forehead drop between Raleigh's shoulder blades, holding himself up with both hands. The poor kid couldn't help but thrust against the ass so snug against him, and Raleigh shivered at the promise of the thickness sliding between his cheeks.

He offered the bottle back over his shoulder, missing the bulk of that heavy body as Chuck shifted aside enough to give himself room to work. Thankfully, all he had to do was turn his head for Chuck to go right back to kissing him senseless, and though the first touch of lube was cold, he turned one knee out to open himself up to it. It had been too long to take that big a package without stretching, and the lube would warm up soon enough inside him.

But as with all his touches tonight, Chuck took his time. Stroking gently around the sensitive pucker, he kissed almost lazily, as if he could wait forever now that he had Raleigh where he wanted him. And Raleigh... didn't try to rush him. He wanted to. _God,_ he wanted to.

But he wasn't immune to the care behind those gentle touches, behind all the restraint. Yes, if Chuck suddenly decided to hell with it and threw aside all caution to fuck him hard and fast, he'd be all for it. It would feel fucking amazing, even if he couldn't walk tomorrow.

But the tingles spreading out from that slow, slick circling, the low gasp when that careful finger finally slipped inside... he wanted that, too. It felt... like this wasn't just a fling. He didn't think it was, but Chuck had been so here-and-gone before, and this... the slow thrusting of a single finger, the brush of warm lips on his shoulder, on the nape of his neck... felt like he was here to stay.

He wanted to keep that feeling.

So he didn't try to rush. Even when a second finger slid in without so much as a twinge of sting, he only arched back against that touch, whispering Chuck's name as warmth spread through him.

Chuck was even gentle when he found his prostate, not trying to grind an orgasm out of him but just... enhancing the warm-honey feeling with waves of new sensation. Murmuring more nothings -- so tight, love, so hot inside, love feeling you like this, love touching you -- into his ear, Chuck oh so carefully worked in another finger, sighing even as that heavy cock swelled harder against Raleigh's thigh. So close. Almost there.

"Chuck... Chuck, please...."

He didn't care that he was begging. He wasn't even sure what he was begging for -- more of this slow, luxurious torment or for Chuck to move on, to slide that beautiful cock inside -- but his body seemed to be pretty sure as he braced his knees against the mattress to press his ass up against that gentle hand.

His body was ready for more.

Oh, thank God, but Chuck shifted to settle fully against him, blanketing his back with heat and muscle. those careful fingers withdrew to slick that thick cock, and Raleigh made a sound low in his throat, somewhere between a whine and a groan. Whispering praises, Chuck finally, finally pressed inside, pausing to make sure it was okay. But it was so much more than okay, and Raleigh moved to take more of him, wanting all of it, addicted to the heat and swell of him already. And Chuck obliged, slowly and gently, until he bottomed out and held there, shuddering at the feel of it.

It didn't hurt at all. It felt like a cup of rich cocoa sipped next to a crackling fire. Like a warm hug on a cold day. Like being wrapped in a soft, fleecy blanket.

Like not being alone anymore.

Chuck held him tight and fucked him slow and deep, and Raleigh let his senses roll in it, let Chuck take him apart and hold him together, let him fill up all the empty places until he admitted he'd been a goner the whole time, that he might've thought he was done with the big jerk but could never be, not when they felt so damn right together.

Not when Chuck murmured how much he loved how he felt inside, how he sounded on the deepest thrusts, how he wanted this moment to last forever, never wanted to stop.

Murmured that he loved him. That he'd never let go now.

Yes. Yes to all of it. Jesus, it was everything he wanted, and those words alone brought him right to the edge of an orgasm so golden that he thought it might burn him like the sun.

"Raleigh... love... on your back. Wanna kiss you when you come. Wanna see you."

He wasn't sure he'd last that long, but he wasn't about to deny Chuck anything now, so he didn't protest when that glorious cock pulled out. He just rolled to his back and arched up to take it back inside, the angle so much different, so much more intimate when Chuck lay back over him to kiss him as long and deep as his thrusts.

No longer gentle, those thrusts, though they still felt so slow and sweet. But the bunching of muscle under his hands didn't lie. Chuck was working for them now, and Raleigh would be feeling them all night long and probably into the next day, and... yes. Yes, he wanted that.

Jesus, he wanted everything Chuck could give him.

"C'mon, love... wanna see you...."

Nearly sobbing with how close he was to a monumental climax, he opened his eyes and looked at Chuck, straining and handsome and sheened with sweat above him. Their eyes met, and orgasm washed over him like a rolling, heated tide. Every part of him tightened, tingled, warmed, and Chuck cried out and joined him, thrusting hard and deep one last time, holding there as he released. It seemed to last forever, even after he lay over him to hold him tight, still buried hard inside him, panting hot breaths against his neck.

"So fucking gorgeous, Raleigh, Jesus, you're so fucking beautiful when you come...."

Shuddering and breathing hard, he clung to Chuck's heavy bulk, clung inside and out, feeling more like he'd had a revelation than an orgasm.

 _You don't deserve an asshole like me,_ he'd said. _But I'm selfish as fuck and want you anyway,_ he'd said.

He didn't think Chuck would resort to the cold shoulder again after this. In fact, he didn't think Chuck had wanted to give him the cold shoulder in the first place.

Holding on tight, he let himself hope he was right. That this wouldn't stop yet.

That Chuck wouldn't leave.

Because right now felt as much like home as him and Mako leaning their foreheads together, and he didn't think he could bear losing it now that he had it.

Of course, Chuck made no move to leave, even after the immediate rush faded to afterglow, their tight grip on each other softening to caresses. It seemed to take forever for him to soften enough to slip out, which Raleigh didn't mind a bit. If Chuck could've stayed inside him all night, he'd have welcomed it.

But sooner or later, they'd need to clean up and change the sheets, and if Chuck wanted to go then, Raleigh wouldn't stop him. Would try to trust that it wasn't a one-and-done scenario. That Chuck would still talk to him tomorrow and the next day and the next.

So, after a long and careful moment spent studying the topography of Chuck's broad, strong back with his fingertips, Raleigh sighed and shifted, feeling slick inside and just starting to be sore.

"Chuck?"

"Mm?"

He smiled softly. The kid sounded half asleep, even sprawling in the mess they'd made of each other.

"Have you ever seen _Die Hard?"_

Breathing in sharply, the big dork stretched and ran a hand over his face. Maybe he'd actually been asleep, then, rather than just halfway there. It was... adorable.

"Die what now?"

 _"Die Hard._ It's a Christmas movie."

Blinking blearily, he shifted to lie on his side, still pressed up against Raleigh and, again, seeming oblivious to the mess he was making. "Doesn't sound like a Christmas movie, mate."

He smiled and reached over to trace an old scar -- not a drivesuit scar, which was a question for another time -- running down a hard pec. "It's the _best_ Christmas movie."

"Mm." Slumping, he cuddled up against his side, wrapping an arm and a leg around him and nuzzling up under his jaw. "Don't reckon I've seen it, then."

Sliding the hand not trapped under all that bulk up the muscled arm holding him close, Raleigh stared up at the ceiling. "Yance and I used to watch it every Christmas."

Chuck stilled, his eyelashes flicking the sensitive skin of Raleigh's throat.

"I hadn't watched it since...." He breathed in hard, not quite a gasp. "I was watching it when you...."

The cuddle tightened, pulling him in closer still, and suddenly he was burying his face in Chuck's neck instead of the other way around. Strong fingers stroked through his hair.

"Reckon we'd best get cleaned up and watch it, then, yeah?"

His eyes prickled, and he clenched them closed and nodded, holding tight to the giant ginger jerk who had somehow become so important to him. It was so much more than just watching a movie, and he was pretty sure Chuck knew it, too.

But he still felt slick inside, and everything outside was starting to dry and itch, and yes, he was really starting to feel those deep, heavy thrusts, and it was time for a hot shower and warm pajamas before they did anything else. So, as much as he just wanted to let Chuck hold him, he let go and rolled out of bed, wincing as he did so.

Chuck followed, grinning smugly at how obviously fucked out Raleigh must look. "Your shower stall big enough for two?"

Sheepish, he ran a hand through the mess of his hair and shrugged. "We can probably squeeze in?"

"Bonzer."

With that, the big jerk headed for the bathroom, and Raleigh started to hobble along behind until he finally got a good, hard look at the body he'd just been clinging to and stopped abruptly.

"Jesus Christ, Chuck."

"Oi, what?" Frowning, the kid turned around, reaching up and back to grasp at whatever had caused such an expostulation.

Huffing an incredulous laugh, Raleigh shook his head. "Here you were talking about _my_ ass being a gift. Jesus, have you ever even seen _yours?"_

Because... damn. Round and firm and flexing with every step and with a sprinkling of freckles over both cheeks and he'd never seen a more perfect ass in his life. It took all his willpower not to run over and grab it with both hands. In fact, he was almost embarrassed by how much he wanted to get ahold of it.

Chuck, of course, saw none of that because he was too busy twisting at the waist and trying to see what about his ass was so fascinating. Thank God, because Raleigh would never live it down if he was caught jaw-dropped and drooling.

"You like it then?" Shrugging, the big jerk grinned a bit. "Well, it's yours any time you want it, mate."

He had just had an orgasm. There was no way his dick was ready for anything else yet. And still, it twitched at the thought.

"Yeah?"

God, he sounded like an idiot. Luckily, it seemed that Chuck didn't care. He just grinned and came back for a kiss and a reach-around to cup Raleigh's butt in both hands.

"I don't give a fuck how you want me, love." It was a whisper, lips against lips. "As long as you want me."

His breath sighed out of him, and he kissed the big, beautiful bastard who had just filled in the last little corner of loneliness in him. He touched his cheek, ran his thumb over the dimple carved deep there, bumped noses. Leaned their foreheads together.

The shower took longer than it should, since they couldn't keep their hands off each other. In all fairness, Chuck was trying to rub some of the soreness out of Raleigh's lower back and thighs and buttcheeks. Still, for the first time since he'd been back in the shatterdome, Raleigh ran out of hot water before they finally climbed out and toweled off.

Chuck borrowed a t-shirt and pajamas, since Raleigh adamantly refused to cuddle up with the damn Santa suit.

Raleigh remembered to give Chuck his present, a box of assorted gourmet chocolates from one of the few confectioners still standing after the rampage through Hong Kong. The kid ate damn near half the box before Raleigh took it away because he didn't want Chuck throwing up in his bed. He also used his own gift to take an amateurish but hilarious picture of the big brat's pout at having his chocolate taken away.

But best of all, Chuck loved _Die Hard._ They watched it twice.

No. That wasn't quite right.

Best of all was waking up the next morning with Chuck wrapped around him like a spider monkey, in no hurry to wake up and get on with the day. In no hurry to go anywhere.

That was the best part. That was the part Raleigh always remembered later.

That Chuck stayed.

A very merry Christmas, indeed.

**THE END**


End file.
